The visual acuity of 8 children, aged 2-7, with low vision and multiple handicaps was effectively tested using the Teller Acuity Cards and a preferential-looking procedure with operant modification. This inexpensive procedure was found to be suitable for at-home testing by itinerant vision specialists in developing countries or rural areas. (DB)

Assessment of psychosocial and academic adjustment of 30 undergraduates with visual impairments and 43 nondisabled undergraduates revealed no intergroup differences on psychosocial adjustment. The mean grade point average of subjects with visual impairments was higher than that of nondisabled subjects. Blind/low vision students scored higher than…

A study investigated the use of a diagnostic and remedial adaptive computer tool to help an eighth-grader with low vision decrease spelling mistakes. Results indicate a clear change in the students' performance, from phonetic writing to process writing and a gradual evolution to automation in spelling and model word retrieval. (Contains…

Fifty low vision children, aged 7 to 18, assessed with the case-study method on 143 variables using the Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychological Battery, Stephens Piagetian Battery of Reasoning Assessments, and Standardized achievement test were found to have significant delays in cognitive and psychomotor development and academic achievement. (Author)

Practice in interpreting the critical features of incomplete line drawings and integrating fragmentary visual information was shown to enhance the visual efficiency of partially sighted children, aged 5 to 8. (BW)

A survey of 6,850 adults age 40 or over concerning the effects of poor vision found that difficulties with reading or other near-vision activities were the most common complaint. One-fourth reported limitations in activities because of poor vision. Factors associated with loss of visual function were general health status, educational level, and…

Parents of 372 visually impaired children in Scotland were surveyed to determine the parents' knowledge of the child's eye condition, educational placement of the child, and registration status as blind or partially sighted. Results indicated that 50 percent of parents were dissatisfied with explanations of their child's visual impairment or…

Investigated was the ability of 18 blind and 18 partially sighted students in grades 4 through 12 to use the Aural Study System, which features unique indexing capabilities for searching recorded reference materials, to locate encyclopedia and dictionary items within practical time limits. Analyses were made of the time required to locate items,…

A 3-year-old (severely retarded and visually impaired) was trained in a program emphasizing functional, age-appropriate visual motor tasks requiring use of vision for successful task completion. Use of a repeated prompting procedure was successful in establishing visual attention, and generalization of visual attention to untrained tasks was…

Records of 360 students evaluated via outreach programs at the low vision clinics of the Iowa Braille and Sight Saving School over a 10-year period were analyzed concerning age, sex, ocular condition, best-corrected visual acuity at far and near, and recommended optical devices. (JDD)

This study evaluated two methods of presenting a videotaped lesson on the care of residents with low vision to 87 staff at long-term care facilities. Both versions of the videotape, one which presented information in a narrative format and one which used text overlay to highlight ideas, were equally effective. (Author/JDD)

The report details the project to develop programed instruction (in which each lesson is programed in small sequential steps) in visual orientation and mobility for multi-impaired low vision children (from preschool age to early adulthood). An introductory section reviews literature showing a need for orientation and mobility instruction; and…

A highly interactive multicamera-multimonitor closed circuit television system is described which permits a resource room teacher and her handicapped elementary school students to be in continuous visual communication with one another. On the basis of relatively short-term observation, data is reported to show that the system is of most help to…

Analysis of scores of 118 visually impaired children on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (Revised) and the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scales of Intelligence (Revised) found a consistent response pattern suggesting that the verbal as well as the performance tests provide useful assessment information. (Author/DB)

To investigate whether screen color is an important variable in the prescription of closed circuit television (CCTV) systems, 16 adults with low vision were assessed on reading performance on white, green, and amber screens. When the screen luminance and contrast were equated for each CCTV, subjects' reading performance was unaffected by screen…